Vatican cardinal vows to rid priesthood of abusers

The prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy has voiced his determination to drive abusers out of the Catholic clergy. "The Church cannot accept such priests," Cardinal Claudio Hummes said during a visit to India. "The Church cannot tolerate [abuse] and deals with it as a serious crime."

Cardinal Hummes had roused the ire of abuse victims earlier this year when, in an interview with the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, he emphasized that only a very small percentage of the world's priests had been involved in sexual abuse. Some readers saw his statement as an attempt to downplay the severity of the problem.

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We'll know that the Cardinal means business when there's a real penalty imposed on bishops who do not take action to remove bishops and priests for any form of sexual activity incompatible with chastity -- not limited to the abuse of children which has been publicly disclosed.